Sun and Rain
by Happymood
Summary: AU. Tommy never became a werewolf, and as a result doesn't know who Merton is. But some relationships are just meant to be... slash. R
1. Chapter 1

"And then she was like: 'You what!'! Oh, guys you must had seen that!" exclaimed a dark skinned boy around seventeen with a wide smile on his face. The other boys around him laughed loudly and patted him playfully on the back.

"And then you made up, right Lee?" said a brown haired boy sipping his drink with a smile. The boy named Lee shrugged and took a taste of his beer.

"Well… what did you expected me to do!" and he and the others laughed.

"Now, your turn, Tommy…" said a black haired boy turning to the brunette beside him. Tommy looked at him. "How was your date with that girl last night?"

Tommy just smiled and put his glass on his lips.

"Awful… she was the most boring person ever…"

"Yeah, maybe! But the curves she has!" said Lee and everyone laughed again. Tommy just smiled and continued drinking.

If there was a list of the most popular boys in Pleasantville high school (and a large number of students believed that a list indeed existed) Tommy Dawkins would be on the top of it. Girls swoon at his very own sight and boys were either jealous of his good looks or respected him. Either way everyone loved him and his smile and naivety made even the most envious person like him. And, if Lee and company were of any indication, that's why he had so many friends. But somehow Tommy Dawkins wasn't happy. He felt empty without a reason, just as if he needed something to feel entirely complete.

"Well, you know Tommy, seriously now, you have to give sometime a chance to at least one of them…" said Lee, "You can't expect the right one to just fall in your arms from one day to an other! Tell him, Chuck!"

"And besides some of them, or all of them must I add, adore you already!" said the blonde boy, named Chuck. But Tommy smiled at them and said:

"But I'm just a hopeless romantic, aren't I?"

"Yeah! You sure are!" said Lee and everyone laughed.

"I'm getting bored here, guys…" said someone from the group swallowing the last drop of his beer.

"Yeah, me too…" said Chuck and stood up from the chair he had been sitting on. "Let's go have fun somewhere else…"

"Your right…" said Lee then he looked at Tommy, "Coming, mate?"

"Of course!" he answered and he too stood up. Laughing the four boys exited the bar loudly and in the cold air of the night they took their respective motorbikes and flew away to awake the sun.

"Freaker!"

Merton J. Dingle looked up from his computer screen and watched annoyed as his sister entered his room, or the Lair, as he preferred to call it, with a disgusted look on her face.

"Yes, dear sister?" he tried to say with the sweetest smile he could manage. The dark haired girl risked two steps more into her brother's room and looked at him annoyed.

"My friends are coming here…" she said crossing her arms over her chest, "…so be invisible and try not to be seen by anyone… am I clear?"

The Goth mouthed mockingly his sister's last phrase but she was too occupied to be nervous by her friend's arrival to actually notice him. He sighed loudly and returned to his staring at the computer screen.

"Invisible as a cat…" he said.

"Cats are cuter…" reminded him the girl. He snorted.

"And besides…" he continued as if he hadn't heard her, "… I have a lot of things to do…"

"Like watching seminude women on Internet…" she retorted. Merton looked incredulously at her.

"No!" he said as a matter of fact, "Like trying to buy this ancient book of spells on e-bay! Now go Becky! I think I heard the bell ringing…"

"Really?" she said and settled herself down. She turned around and exited the Lair shouting: "Invisible!"

"Yes… yes…" he whispered and sighed again.

If now there was a list of the most invisible boys in Pleasantville high school, Merton J. Dingle wouldn't be on it, because students would be too occupied to see the less invisibles ones to actually notice him at all. As far as Merton was concerned no one knew he really existed. Apart maybe from the infamous TnT's, brothers and bullies for life, who tried (and succeeded) to make every little day of his a living hell.

Merton J. Dingle, blacked haired boy with bright blue eyes, had to surrend to the fact that his life would never change. He was sure that in ten years time he would still be the outcast, with no friends, with still that annoying sister near him, TnT would still bother him to death, until he really expired…

Little did he know that nothing of this will actually happen…


	2. Chapter 2

"Wake up, darling!"

The rustle of the curtains. The hot sun of the morning. His mother smiling down at him.

Tommy looked at her with half lidded eyes and after a moment of thought put the covers of his bed over his head again and turned back to sleep.

"Oh, no, you won't…" the woman said, annoyed, "Your clock has been buzzing for half an hour now...!"

"Just a little more, please…" he whispered under his covers.

"…but you prefer pretending not to hear it! When did you come back last night? Oh, I know! Four o'clock in the morning! Well, I don't care...!"

"It was half past three in the morning…" he said, Mrs. Dawkins stopped her rambling and looked at her younger son with an amused smile on her face.

"Oh, so it was…" she said and with a quick move pulled the covers away from his tight grasp. "Now get up or you'll be late for school!"

Tommy sighed and yawing loudly finally stood up. Mrs. Dawkins showed him a bright victorious smile and whistling happily she exited her son's room. Tommy stared at her slightly shocked then laughing quietly to himself he continued dressing.

Usually he would grunt at his mother for waking him up so early (it was nine in the morning, for goodness sake!) and make a fuss about it but today everything felt different. Like it was bound to happen something big. Something needed. He felt so good with himself that going to school in that unthinkable hour of the day didn't seem a so bad idea.

"I'm late! I'm late! I'm late! I'm late!" Merton looked around the deserted corridors with a worried look on his face. Why his stupid clock had decided to just not to ring that day was still a mystery to him, even if he had the presentiment it was all Becky's fault…

'I'm sure she needed batteries for that stupid walkman of hers…' he thought then searching for his first, most probably his second, class. He continued walking around the quiet school's corridors when he came across the most terrible sight of the world…

Maybe if he walked away quietly as possible he could get away from _them _without any bone damaged…

"Hey, Tim! Look who has just arrived!"

Merton paralyzed. No such luck!

"Travis! Is that nerd! What's his name again?"

'This is the worst day ever!' Merton thought staring at the terrible duo approaching him. Merton yelped as two large hands took him by the shoulders and slammed him on the lockers beside him. The famous duo looked at him with a strange but happy look on their faces.

"Oh, hi! It's so good to see you!" Merton said waving his fingers a little. He then smiled worried.

'It's so early…' Tommy thought looking around the deserted corridors. 'Must be the only one here… Lee and the others must be in their beds… sleeping…'.

He could hear nothing but silence. Everyone was in class.

Wait a moment…

"Can we talk about this in a civilized manner?" Tommy heard a really panicked voice coming from one of the corridors. "Maybe over a cup of tea? And… and a slice of..."

'I'm sure it's the Tn'Ts pestering someone…' he thought and went to investigate.

"…okay! Okay! No tea!" the voice became clearer as Tommy came nearer to its fount.

'I knew it!' he thought finding the two bullies threatening one of the students. Sighing loudly he came closer to them and standing beside them coughed quietly as if to caught their attention. And it did as Tim and Travis looked around at him. Their fingers, however, didn't let go of the boy's shirt so easily.

"Hi!" he said showing them the brightest Tommy Dawkins smile.

"Oh! Tommy Dawkins! What a pleasure to see you!" said one of them. Tommy laughed.

"Yes, is a pleasure to see you two… well, why aren't you in class?" he asked then, always smiling.

"We're…" started the other.

"Yeah, I know what you are doing and I think you're doing a wonderful job… but, well, he's my friend and you know how Lee gets when…"

"Oh!" the T'nT duo exclaimed and let go of Merton's shirt immediately. "Sorry didn't know you were friends with the famous Tommy Dawkins…" and they quickly walked away. Tommy laughed again and turned to Merton, who sat there, astonished, staring at the duo's fading forms.

"Are you okay?" Tommy asked then kneeling in front of him when the two brothers were out of the way. Merton looked at Tommy surprised as he helped him stood up. Merton just continued staring.

Was that a dream? Was someone really talking to him?

"So, are you new here?" Tommy asked then, jerking Merton out of his thoughts, "I never saw you here before…"

"Oh… no, I'm not new…" he laughed a little, avoiding Tommy's eyes, "…but I was sure you never noticed me, because, yeah, who notice me? The only ones who have knowledge of my existence are those two brats and, well, they don't even remember my name… so…" Merton then noticed Tommy's confused look and said: "Yes, yes I'm new…"

Tommy then smiled.

"Ah, that's why…" he then asked: "What's your name by the way?"

"Merton… Merton Dingle…" and Tommy smiled again.

"I'm Tommy Dawkins…".


	3. Chapter 3

Okay…

Take a big breath...

Okay…

This is… this is… incredible? Interesting? Incredibly interesting? No! No... what was the word again... unexpected! Yeah! Unexpected indeed…

Merton just stared at Tommy's pleased face and chestnut eyes. After all those years he wasn't so used to have someone smiling at him. Rather sad to say the least… but…

Merton in the end smiled too.

"Thank you…" he finally said and Tommy just shook his head.

"Nothing to thank for… I hate when people bully the others. It's just… unfair…"

"Yes, it is…" Merton managed to say. So unused to this! Tommy smiled again and opened his mouth to say something more when someone called his name. He turned around and saw Lee, Chuck and the others waiting for him at the end of the corridor.

"Aren't you coming?" Chuck shouted.

"In a moment!" Tommy shouted back and turned to Merton again. "I must go now… see you soon, okay?" and he walked away to his usual group.

"Okay…" Merton said and watched him greet the other boys.

"What took you so long!" said Lee patting him roughly on the back. Tommy looked at him and shrugged.

"Well nothing important…" he said then smiled, "Just met a new friend…"

"Bullshit! _We_'re your friends!" said Chuck smiling, "Now… speaking of which… where are we going tonight?"

Lee looked at him, thinking hard, then he turned around to Tommy.

"Same old place?" he asked at last.

"No!" Chuck exclaimed in the end, "Let's go…" and he said the name of a really famous club, "Girls there haven't heard of us yet!"

"Good idea, what do you say Dawkins?" said Lee grinning widely.

"No problem…" Tommy answered and bright blue eyes smiled at him.

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'It's so quiet here at night…' Merton thought looking around the darkness that ruled in the park in that late hour of the day. He stopped and listened to the sound of the wind through the leaves. How much he loved walking around in the green. So far from his problems and most of all so far from his sister who kept shouting at him because friends were coming to visit and ect ect. Here, in the silence of all, he had time to think and relax and that's why he preferred going there when something really troubled him…

And that day something really troubled him.

From the moment he re-entered home Tommy's image, smile and kind words kept flashing back to his memory every now and then.

If only he could understand why.

Yes, he had been very kind to him…

Yes, he had helped him get away those two's grasp…

Yes, he had smiled to him…

And yes, he had said 'See you soon'…

But those weren't enough reasons to keep thinking about a person. First of all, an old lady had talked to him very kindly just two months before and he hadn't been thinking about her all day. And his mother had smiled to him last night. And he was sure he didn't dream about her…

So why was that?

Before he could answer the roaring of an engine brought him back to reality. Merton turned around quickly and he was blinded by the bright lights of a motorbike.

The screeching of the brakes and then an other unexpected thing happened…

"Merton! Is that you?"

"Huh?" at the sound of his name Merton looked up to the rider of the bike. The last one stopped the engine and took off the helmet. "Tommy?"

"Hey!" Tommy smiled at him, "What are you doing here all alone?"

Merton looked around and shrugged.

"Just taking a walk I guess…"

"Really? Aren't you afraid?" Tommy asked,

"No, not really…" Merton said and Tommy smiled again.

"Well, I think the park is somehow creepy in this hour of the night…" Tommy said, "Whatever… hey, I had an idea! I'm going to a pub to meet my friends now… want to come?"

Merton looked at him surprised and immediately shook his head.

"Oh, no no no…" he said, "I don't think it would be a good idea…"

"Come on! You'll have fun!" Tommy answered. "And whenever you want to get back home I'll bring you back, so you don't have to worry about it…"

"I…"

Tommy started the engine and motioned him to get on. Merton, speechless, do as told.

"Hold onto me!" Tommy said putting the helmet on Merton's head and set off.


	4. Chapter 4

'Hold onto me!' he said and Merton was doing it alright. He had never been on a motorbike like that before that night and he was slightly scared to tell the truth. Tommy, feeling the other boy's fingers tight around his waist decelerated and continued his ride.

'Why did I accept?' Merton thought putting his head on Tommy's back absentmindedly. 'I'm not one who stays awake until morning and talks about stupid things and drink until throws up…'

"It won't be so bad…" Tommy said as reading his thoughts, Merton looked up to him and saw him smiling softly. "Think about it like… making a new experience!"

Merton nodded and just then Tommy stopped.

"There we go!" he said and Merton quickly got down the bike. Tommy followed suit and took the helmet Merton was handing him.

"Thanks…" Merton said and Tommy just shook his head.

Music could be heard thought the street and the two looked at a club were a lot of teenagers were gathering, talking and laughing loudly. The club's neon light was flashing intensely showing to everyone the club's name. Merton stared at it for a moment until his eyes hurt.

"Let's enter…" Tommy said at least and Merton couldn't do but follow him.

As they entered the dance club Tommy looked around them in search of his friends. In the meantime Merton was deafened by the loud disco music and blinded by the bright disco lights. People were dancing maniacally all around them and Merton was amazed at how quickly and easily Tommy had founded his group. They were sitting in the far end of the club, laughing and drinking beer directly from the bottle.

"Hey, guys!" Tommy said sitting down.

"Hey, Tommy…" said Lee and then he, Chuck and the others looked strangely at Merton, who sat there, embarrassed and smiling slightly.

"Oh, he's Merton Dingle…" Tommy said, introducing the Goth. "He's new in town and I thought it'll do him good to meet new people… Merton, here's Lee, Chuck and…"

"Oh, please take a sit…" said Lee immediately but not really smiling. Merton mouthed a 'thanks', not really noticing the sarcastic tone, and sat down next to Tommy. Man! Didn't he felt uncomfortable…

Lucky he had Tommy near him…

"I'm go get something to drink…" said Tommy standing up, "Do you want anything, Merton?"

Merton looked at him and quickly shook his head no. Tommy nodded and left the table.

"So… Merton, right?" Lee said looking at him intently, "I didn't know that was your real name… I always heard of you as… the Freak, aren't I right?"

Chuck and the others laughed and Merton blushed, avoiding their eyes quickly. He didn't know how to respond to that and pretended he didn't hear him due to the loud music. Lee then grinned.

"I'm surprised Tommy decided to take you with him…" said Chuck, confusion in his eyes.

"Must be thinking of playing a little with you…" said Lee sipping his beer, his eyes never letting go of Merton face. A crude smile always on his lips.

"Playing?" Merton whispered.

"Well…" Lee said then, "You know… something to play with until he finds a beautiful girl…" he explained then knowingly. Merton looked at him, his eyebrow curved up in confusion.

'Tommy's not the type…' he thought and repeated the sentence inside his head over and over again until he was sure it was true. He stared at Lee, then at Chuck then at every other member of Tommy's group and he felt dizzy, furious that someone who didn't even know him could tell him things like that.

"You're right, Lee…" said Chuck then looking at Merton as if he was some kind of a weird animal, "But why the Freak! There are plenty of other people more…" but he suddenly stopped as Tommy returned back. Nothing in his hands.

"Too many people… I'll try later…" he explained and made to sit down, but Merton stood up immediately and made some steps away from the table. Tommy looked at him and came nearer.

"What is it?" he asked alarmed. Lee and the other in the meantime returned to their previous discussion, not giving a damn about the two.

"I'm sorry Tommy…" Merton said softly, "I don't want to… ruin your night, but…"

"Aren't you feeling well?" asked Tommy worriedly, staring at Merton's paler than usual face.

"I feel rather tired…" Merton said then and looked at Chuck, who stared at him with a really sarcastic smile on his face. They were talking about him.

"Okay, I'm taking you back home…" Tommy said.

"I'm sorry.." Merton said, Tommy looked down at him.

"Are you kidding me?" he laughed, "You gave me the perfect opportunity to get out from here…" and seeing he made Merton smile, said something to his friends and took him out the club.

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"Okay, here we are…" Merton said and Tommy stopped the engine, then looked up at Merton's house.

"Your parents must be sleeping…" he said as Merton got off the bike. The house was indeed rather dark and all the windows were hermetically closed. Merton shrugged:

"No problem… I live in the basement…" he said and went for the back door of his room. Tommy looked at him, astonished, and followed him.

"In the basement?"

"Yeah!" he replied and opened the door, "But I don't like to call it the basement… The Lair's better…" and with a smile entered. "Come in if you like…" and Tommy, curious, did.

Tommy never saw a room like that before. Merton was a Goth to all the effects and his room, pardon, the Lair emphasized his beliefs.

"You do have a lot of candles…" Tommy said and approached the library, "…and many books too…"

"I'm addicted…"

"I see…" Tommy said smiling, he then took one and opened it. "Vampires?"

"Yeah… I have a lot of books on magic and dark creatures…" Merton said, "I know… you're thinking: 'This guy is a freak, let's get out of here as soon as possible'…"

Tommy looked at him, incredulous.

"A freak?" he said, "I think you're more interesting than many other people out there… yeah, you talk about strange things but… well, I think it's fascinating…" and he put the book back on its place.

"Really?" Merton said smiling, "Want to know what I'm fascinated about?" he asked, his eyes sparkling with joy.

"What?" said Tommy smiling.

"Werewolves!"

"Werewolves?"

"Yeah…"

Tommy laughed then looked at him.

"Imagine I was one!" he then said smiling widely, "All hairy…" he put his hands on his face as to emphasize the point. "Big teeth… amber eyes!" he looked at the full moon out from the window then looked at Merton: "Wouldn't it be cool?"

"People would be scared of you, though…"

"You wouldn't…" Tommy said smiling, "And, besides, I could be a good werewolf…"

"Even if that was possible you couldn't wear silver things like that bracelet you're wearing now…" Merton said pointing to the bracelet on Tommy's right hand. Tommy looked at it for a moment then smiled.

"Well, that's not a problem… gold's better!"

And they both laughed.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hi, everyone…" Tommy said sitting down. The school's cafeteria, that hour of the day, was empty and the only ones who still sat there, doing nothing at all, were Tommy and his group. At the very sight of him Lee and the others looked up and stopped whatever they were previously doing. Tommy looked at them, feeling that something was terribly wrong. Lee looked at Chuck then at all the other members of the group and nodded.

"We need to talk…" he said immediately looking at Tommy straight in the eyes.

"Okay…" Tommy said and crossed his arms against his chest. Chuck tapped his fingers on the table, annoyed and nervous at the same time.

"It's about the boy you…" Lee started but Chuck anticipated him and he too stared at Tommy incredulous.

"How could you possibly invite the Freak yesterday?" he shouted, "Don't you have a reputation!?"

"What?" Tommy yelled back, confused.

"You heard me!" Chuck said but Lee put a hand on his arm and pulled him down.

"Now stop it! You're making things worse!" Lee shouted and Chuck was silenced.

"I don't understand your problem…" Tommy said, starting to get angry. "He's a good guy. He's smart, funny… what the difference between him and us?"

"The difference?" Chuck said, laughing, "Are you kidding me?"

"Chuck! STOP!" Lee shouted and the blond boy shut his mouth again. Then Lee looked back at Tommy. "The fact is, Tommy, he's not, and never will be, one of us… he _is _different… he's an outcast, it was his choice and you shouldn't have invited him yesterday without consulting us before…".

"His choice?" Tommy said, "His choice? I think not, Lee! It's not his fault if he doesn't have friends… it's our fault, because we don't understand him! If only we…"

"What's there to understand?" Chuck shouted laughing hysterically. Tommy looked at each one of them and stood up.

"Only because he dresses in a different way doesn't mean he's not worth it…" he said, calmly as possible, and made to go. But Lee's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Why do you protect him, Dawkins?"

Tommy didn't turn around.

"Why?" Lee asked again, coming nearer. "Just a week ago you would torture him as everybody else…"

"I hate torturing people…" Tommy said, "Tell me! Did you ever see me tormenting the weaker, smaller, I don't know what ones?"

"You're part of this group…" Lee said, "And everything we did, we did it together! So, yeah, you DID torture people!"

"So, yeah, I don't want to be part of this group anymore…" Tommy said and looked down at the silver bracelet in his hands, symbol of the group, and tossed it back at Lee and the others. "Take this back and give it to someone who _you_ relay as cool…" and with that he exited the cafeteria.

Lee stared at the bracelet, beside him the rest of the group, unbelieving of what they had just witnessed.

"The boy's out of mind!" Chuck said, finally breaking the silence.

"It's all that Freak's fault…" someone of the group said.

"Lee?" Chuck asked then.

"I don't know what that boy did to him…" Lee said turning to the others. "Seriously, the way he talked about him made me think he actually cares for him!"

"But he knows him for, what? Some days?" asked someone else.

"It doesn't matter…" said Lee shaking his head in disbelief, "But if we want Tommy back as he was before he noticed that little guy, we must do something about it…"

"Yeah, but what?" asked Chuck.

Silence then Lee smiled.

"I think I have something in mind…".


	6. Chapter 6

It started with the simplest question ever…

"When is your birthday?"

…and the most unexpected answer.

"Actually it's in two days…".

Tommy had stared at his new friend, who had been sitting rather awkwardly in front of him, open mouthed, and had chocked out a:

"No! Really! Why didn't you tell me before?"

Merton had avoided his eyes and had tried to laugh.

"I didn't thought it mattered so much! And besides no one will remember my birthday is in two days! It didn't happen last year, or two years ago for that matter, why remember it now?" he had said and giggled, trying to sound half hearted about it.

"And your parents?"

"I was talking of my parents, by the way…"

Okay, Tommy thought he had sounded stupid, making that kind of question ("And your parents?") and the conversation from then on had turned out to be somehow embarrassing but Tommy knew he had to do something for it.

So that was why he had decided to skip school that day, make Merton thought he was sick or something (even if it was just plain mean from his part to leave alone Merton the day of his birthday!) and stand before the Dingle's front door with his heart pounding like it had went crazy.

The ringing of the bell.

"Coming!"

The sound of Mrs. Dingle steps.

"Oh, hello…?"

The famous Tommy Dawkins smile.

"Hi!"

"Who are you?"

The menacing form of Merton's dad.

"I'm Tommy Dawkins…" he said, flashing his brightest smile, "Merton's friend!"

"Oh! Come in!" Mrs. Dingle exclaimed even if Mr. Dingle had tried to close the door right to his face.

"B-…" Mr. Dingle tried to say but his wife shot him a rather nasty look. Then he looked back at Tommy and smiled.

"You know Merton's at school right now…"

"Yes, I'm aware of that…" Tommy said, "But I'm not here to talk to Merton… I'm here to talk to you…"

"What is it?" Mr. Dingle said, looking at him rather suspiciously.

"You know today's Merton's day, right?" he asked but the Dingle's just looked at him confused. "Today's his birthday…"

And then understanding came and Mrs. Dingle put her hands on her mouth, shocked with herself.

"How could we?" she mouthed.

"I was thinking of organize a little party for him, just me and his family!" Tommy said.

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It started with the most awkward question ever…

"When is your birthday?"

Yeah… Tommy Dawkins knew him too little to know that he really didn't want to talk about that kind of subject. So he went along with it.

"Actually it's in two days…".

He had blushed noticing the shock in Tommy's eyes.

"No! Really! Why didn't you tell me before?"

And Merton had thought that if he wanted the truth he might as well tell Tommy why. But deep down inside he had been happy that someone cared for when his birthday was.

But now it was different.

He wasn't happy at all.

"He fell ill just the day of my birthday!" he thought sadly trying to understand what the teacher was saying. An impossible thing to do, really… with all those thoughts running about in his mind. "Happy birthday, Merton…"

He should have been accustomed to this.

Like he told Tommy: "It didn't happen last year, or two years ago for that matter, why remember it now?"

So that's why he returned home with the saddest expression on his face.

He opened the back door to his Lair.

"Happy birthday, Merton!"

And there were his mother, his father and even his sister Becky, who was shooting hungry looks at the birthday cake in their mother's hands.

And…

And…

"Tommy?"

"Happy birthday, Merton!" Tommy said putting an arm around Merton's shoulders.

"Happy birthday, darling!" Mrs. Dingle said, "Becky!"

"Yeah! Yeah! Happy birthday, Freaker…"

And Merton laughed.

"Don't you want to open your presents?" Mr. Dingle said and Merton thought that even if it had started with the most awkward question ever it worth it all the while.

Tommy looked down at his friend and a soft smile caressed his lips.


	7. Chapter 7

Tommy looked around him, searching for a particular face. A really difficult thing to do as long as the corridor was so full of students of all ages walking and laughing around, books in hand, waiting for the first class to start, that you couldn't recognize the ones walking near you.

He smiled as he finally spotted who he was searching for walking quietly to his locker and made to approach him.

His mother had been so surprised to see him up at eight o'clock that morning. She was still with her dressing gown preparing her morning coffee when he had turned up into the kitchen already with his pack on his right shoulder.

"Good morning, mum!" he had said smiling brightly. Speechless she just stared at him for five good minutes before greeting back.

Yep! It had been the first time he arrived at school before first class had start. His mother would even marry Merton for this and… no, that was a picture he really didn't need to see…

"Hi, Mert!" Tommy greeted. Merton looked up and smiled brightly.

"Good morning!" he said and Tommy laughed feeling that Merton was just as surprised as his mum was for seeing him up in that hour of the day.

"You didn't expect me to come now, did you?" Tommy said.

"No, not really… I thought eleven or so in the morning would have been more appropriate for you…"

"Hey! I can change!" Tommy answered back, Merton just smiled, and then he proceeded to take some of his books from his locker. Tommy followed every move Merton did then he stated, rather amazed: "Did you notice that our lockers are next to each other?"

Merton looked up at him again. His smile disappeared and there was sadness in his eyes.

"Isn't it strange…" he whispered closing his locker again and then he walked away. Tommy looked at the two lockers for a moment before following him to class.

"What about your friends?" Merton asked then out of the blue, Tommy looked at him and put a hand around his shoulders.

"They're not my friends anymore…" he said and Merton tried to hide the smile that was coming back on his lips. "They didn't worth it as much as you do…".

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"I…" Tommy looked at the soup before him, "…hate…" he put the spoon inside it for a moment, "…this food…", deciding it could still be alive he finally pushed the plate out of the way. Merton laughed out loud.

"How many times did you lunch here?" Merton managed to say in the least. Tommy shot another dirty look at his 'lunch' and answered:

"Well, I've been here before… but let's say I never noticed they ever eat here…" and Merton laughed again. He knew Tommy and his ex-group preferred to stay out class as much as possible and lunch out of school. Where exactly Merton decided he didn't want to know.

"Next time remember to bring the food from home or lunch only the Thursdays… the food that day of the week it's more eatable…" Merton said.

"I'll keep it in mind…" Tommy said and made an other disgusted face at his soup.

"You have so much to learn…" Merton said making Tommy smile.

"Yep!" Tommy exclaimed happily. Merton laughed again but then noticed the clock on the cafeteria's wall.

"I must go now…" Merton said standing up. Tommy looked up at him and asked:

"The only class we don't have together?"

"Exactly…" Merton said and smiled: "See you later!" and walked away.

"Bye…" Tommy said and threw the soup away.

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Merton stared at the two boys before him. His eyes full of terror. His back against the cold wall.

Things couldn't get worse…

"Hey, Freak!" Tim or Travis said, Merton was too preoccupied to notice which of the two was. The duo smiled joyfully and lift their punches up in the air. Merton immediately covered his face with his hands and pray god Tommy would come and save him.

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Fifteen minutes after Merton left Tommy finally stood up from his place in the cafeteria and after greeting good morning to some cheerleaders made to his next and last class of the day. If only Merton was with him…

Yeah, it was strange they had all classes together except that one.

Yeah, it felt weird and annoying really…

They should always be together. Oh! That thought felt so good…

Hey! Where did that come from?

But he could think no more as something, or better, someone caught his eyes.

"Merton!" Tommy shouted immediately even if he knew Merton couldn't hear him. Tn'T looked at him and their eyes widened in terror. He run, grinding his teeth until it hurt, his hands trembling just so slightly as he grabbed Tim's first, then Travis's one, shirt and pulled them away from the unconscious body that was Merton.

"What did you do!" he shouted again and slammed them against the lockers, showing them his real strength, the one that awarded him with the title of captain of the football team. The one that made even Lee and his friend's shiver.

Tim and Travis just stared back at him, their mouths opening and closing continuously. Their faces pale as they did not know what to say or do. And that made Tommy even more furious than before and punched one of the two on the face.

"Didn't I tell you not to touch him?!" Tommy shouted not really caring if some professor of some sort could hear and give him detention because he or she jumped to conclusions. "Didn't I?" he screamed again as the duo preferred not to talk.

"Yes! Y-es you did!" exclaimed Tim.

"But Lee forced us to!" whispered Travis. The grasp on their shirts softened but the rage in Tommy's eyes started to glow.

"What?"

"Paid us…" the two brothers said in unison. Tommy finally let them go and they run away quickly. But Tommy couldn't care less about the two. He looked down at Merton and he calmed down a bit. He kneeled down and took him in his arms.

"Oh, Merton… it's all my fault…" Tommy said and took him back home.

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'He seems so peaceful…' Tommy thought, his eyes never letting go of Merton's sleeping form on Tommy's bed. His parents weren't at home and his brother was too intrigued in a soap opera he was watching intently to really notice him walk furiously in with what seemed like a corpse in his arms. It was the first place he thought, his house… no one would ask anything.

'Oh, Merton…' Tommy sighed and unconsciously caressed one of Merton's cheeks. "Why did they do that to you? I was the one who sort of betrayed them…"

Just then Merton opened his bright blue eyes tiredly and slowly, and still half unconscious looked up at Tommy and smiled softly.

Tommy stood immediately up.

"Merton?"

At the sound of his name said in such a glad tone, Merton woke up entirely and stood in a sitting position in a moment.

"Tommy?" he exclaimed.

"Oh, my god!" Tommy exclaimed and without thinking pulled him in the tightest embrace he could manage. Merton still dizzy from everything he passed hugged him back in a less forceful manner. "Oh, Merton!" Tommy said.

And Merton couldn't do but smile and think at how their bodies melt so perfectly in that embrace. Then surprised he felt his left shoulder slightly damp and hugged Tommy even close.

"It's okay…" he whispered. "I'm okay now…"

"No, it's not okay…" Tommy whispered back, "It's all my fault everything happened…"

"No, it's not, Tommy…" and Tommy untangled himself from the hold close and looked at Merton straight in the eyes.

Silence as they stared at each other eyes, pool of emotions and desires.

Merton could see a lot of emotions in those hazel eyes. Gladness, sadness, anger and something else he couldn't really decipher, unaware the same emotion could be read in his own eyes.

"What are you trying to say, Tommy?" Merton asked suddenly, breaking the silence. Tommy examined Merton's face one more before sighing, then he tried to smile but it hurt a lot more that he could immagine it would.

"Nothing…" and stood up. Merton just stared at him feeling that Tommy was lying. "I'm going to buy something to eat for you…" he said at last, "Stay here, rest, I promise I wont be late…" Tommy smiled again and hugging Merton once more walked out of the room.

"But…" Merton said but Tommy couldn't hear him blinded by the desire for revenge.


	8. Chapter 8

He could recognize Lee laughter from miles. They have been friends too long for Tommy to not be able to do so.

And as he approached his ex first mate and ex friends he felt evermore angry than before until he couldn't stop himself in looking like a madman, a killer, or, as Merton would have said, a werewolf…

Because he knew that laughter. Lee used to laugh like that when he was proud of whatever he had previously done. Good or bad as might've been.

"Hey, Tommy!" Lee exclaimed with a joyful smile on his face when he saw him coming nearer. He smiled at Tommy but instead he faced the angriest frown on earth. Lee stopped laughing, stopped smiling and prepared himself for the impact. Because just then Tommy grabbed him by the shirt and slammed him onto the lockers. The rest of the group shouted in resentment but Chuck shut them up and stopped them in case they tried to come in Lee's rescue.

"Why did you do that?" Tommy spat but Lee looked at him with the coldest look in his dark brown eyes.

"I thought you were more intelligent…" Lee said with the calmest tone, the one that always made Tommy more annoyed than ever.

"Are you crazy?" Tommy growled, "Merton didn't do anything to you! Why do you…" and glanced at Chuck for the briefest of moments before returning his attention to Lee, "…treat him like scum! Why you're tormenting _him _and not _me_! I was the one who left the group, remember!"

"I remember it clearly…" Lee said calmly, then his eyes stormed, "But must I remember you that you left us for that boy! This is something we can't understand Tommy!" and pushed Tommy away, "He's an outcast! He's not one of us! You had to understand he's pathetic and weak. That's why I paid those idiots to beat him to a pulp!"

Tommy gritted his teeth and tighten his fists.

"That's just stupid!" he shouted.

"Don't you see what that Freak did to you?" Lee shouted back, "Look at you! You're defending him, you destroyed years of friendship only for him, you even go to classes! That's not you! We did that…" he stopped, searching for the right words, "I'll admit it was cruel from our part to pay them, but we want you back! As you were before you kind of fell in love with that…"

And Lee stopped talking as Tommy didn't let him finish, punching him right in the face. Lee fell and put a finger on his bottom lip, feeling the taste of blood in his mouth. But Tommy wasn't full yet; he needed more and so he started kicking Lee in the stomach repeatedly.

"Stop it!"

Everything stopped. And Tommy turned slowly around surprised. Merton stood there, pain in his eyes, still hurt from the beatings Tn'T gave him some hours before.

"Merton?"

Merton put a hand on Tommy's shoulder.

"Leave him alone… he doesn't worth it…", Tommy looked at Lee once more and saw him smiling lightly to himself, "Let's go..." Merton said and tried to take him out that mess.

"See… I was right, after all…" Lee said, laughing, "You turned into a sissy…" Lee looked up at Merton then back at Tommy, "I don't know what you see in him… he's just a…"

"Professor!" someone shouted, "Run!" and at the sound of steps approaching the group disappeared. Lee remained on the floor, aching badly, with the same smile on his face. Tommy stared down at him, plain hate in his eyes. Neither wanted to move or run away.

"Tommy…" Merton said but Chuck took him by the arm, without previous warning and dragged him out. Merton shot another glance at Tommy and without thinking followed Chuck out of school.

"What happened here!" were the last words he heard before Tommy's form disappeared from sight.

Chuck stopped running and took Merton by the collar. Merton stared at him intently, half annoyed, half scared of what Chuck might do to him.

But Chuck just stared at him, his mouth slightly agape in a shocked kind of way.

"Let me go!" Merton shouted and tried to free himself, but Chuck was stronger.

"Tell me…" Chuck whispered.

"Tell you what?" Chuck's eyes darkened and Merton gulped silently.

"What? You tell me what you did to Tommy!" he shouted, "He's not the Tommy we know anymore!"

"Maybe you never knew the real Tommy…" Merton interrupted.

"We were his ONLY true friends…" Chuck continued, "But betrayed us for _you_… little piece of shit…" he raised his fist in the air but thought better of it, "You saw what he did to Lee… Lee was his friend, best friend, his second in command… you ruined everything…"

"I didn't do anything, okay?" Merton said, "Tommy just opened his eyes!"

"And he saw what?" Chuck laughed, "You?" his grip on Merton's shoulders deepened, "I don't think that's possible… you did something… did you hypnotized him? Did you gave him a potion?"

"Did you take me for a wizard?" Merton laughed a little.

"The way you dress, the way Tommy listens to you and cares for you make me think so…"

"You're crazy…" Merton said, "Can't you just accept someone befriended me?"

And at that Chuck started to laugh, hurting Merton feelings. A lot. Then Chuck's face hardened and stared at Merton without speaking.

"Tommy really has bad taste…" he whispered then and after kicking Merton on the leg, Chuck walked away quickly. Merton sighed audibly and falling to his knees decided to talk to Tommy about it.

-----------------------------------------------

Little drops of water started to fall from the sky and collapsed down, near Merton's black boots. Merton was sitting there, on the cold flight of steps that led to the front gate of Pleasantville's high school, staring at the ground, deep in thought.

Everything felt unreal, as if it wasn't happening, as if it was just an act on stage, until it started to rain, and everything became weirder.

Wasn't really impossible? This friendship? Was it?

"You were waiting for me?" Tommy said amused and Merton looked up at him.

"Yes…"

"But I've been in detection for about two hours!" Tommy exclaimed then shocked, but Merton didn't laugh nor speak and stood silently up. His eyes avoiding Tommy's ones.

"We need to talk…" he whispered then but Tommy took him by the arm and said:

"Let me take you home… it's raining and you could fall ill…" and dragged him over to his motorbike, but with an angry gesture Merton freed himself and made Tommy looked over at him.

"We need to talk…" Merton repeated, louder now, looking down. He remained silent for a moment before saying: "I… I don't think we should hung out together anymore…".

Tommy stared hard down at him and remained silent. Lighting flashed in the gray sky above them and the rain stared to fall harder, heavier, but they remained impassive as they stood under the water.

"Try to understand…" Merton continued and gaining courage looked at Tommy straight in the eye, "I don't say this because they hurt me, I don't say this for me but for you, Tommy. Because of me they're going to make any and every day of your life a living hell! They'll try to not let you leave normally anymore until you resign and return to their group…", suddenly thunder boomed beside them but a second later everything became silent again. "And if you don't stop being with me…" Merton continued, every word hurting his heart a lot, "…you'll loose in a second everything you gained after years of befriending them… popularity, football… even girls won't consider you in the same way they do now! And that just because I exist and you noticed me…"

"But why? What do we have that you don't?" Tommy said breaking the silence, his eyes dark. "We're not different, Merton… don't listen to what they say…"

"But we are different, Tommy!" Merton exclaimed, suddenly laughing embarrassed. Merton ran a hand through his wet hair and stared at Tommy opened mouthed, sensing the flavor of rain on his lips. "We're… we're…" his paused, searching for the right words in his confused and shocked mind. "We're like the sun and the rain, Tommy!" he exclaimed pointing to the pouring sky above them, "People aren't very happy to see me but they love spending each and every day of their life with you! They can't leave without you! They need you… I, on the other, just spoil the day…

"I know you can live without me…" Merton concluded. _I don't know if I can…_

Tommy didn't reply and remained silent, staring at the outline of Merton's chest as it pressed through the fabric of his wet shirt. Something in his stomach tightened and his eyes became softer.

"Bullshit…" he whispered then and Merton looked at him.

"I'm sorry?"

"Everything you said is bullshit…" Tommy said again and with a quick move took Merton's shoulders in his hands. "I _can't _live without you, Merton! I don't know how I managed without you until now!" he stared down at Merton's surprised face and suddenly he felt happy, too happy for that serious moment. Rain poured down on them and they smell of rain and… butterflies in his stomach, Merton's heart started to pound strangely. "You're not the rain, Merton… my life was a storm before I met you…" he caressed Merton's wet cheek. "You're the sun…" he continued, "My sun…" and Merton unconsciously smiled. "And I don't care if they want me with them again…" he said, his face serious, "I don't care if I loose everything… I just…".

Silence.

The boom of thunder.

They stood like that, staring at each other faces and serious expressions, before Tommy leaned on and kissed Merton straight on the lips.

'So sweet and tender…' Merton thought, and stopped there, because suddenly his lips parted and let Tommy's essence enter his very soul. The kiss deepening without knowing why it felt so good.

They just kissed, now tenderly, now passionately, under the rain. Everything tasting so all right. And needed.

Without thinking they were friends, male friends. Without caring.

Until the maddening need for air broke the apart.

Merton stared wide eyed at Tommy, realization hitting him straight in the head. Tommy gulped a little and avoided his friend's soft eyes.

"Let's go home…" Tommy said then and Merton couldn't do but nod and follow him on to his bike.


	9. Chapter 9

"So…" Tommy stared at the wet floor in Merton's room. He should have stayed outside. He was soaking wet, and so was Merton, and now the floor resembled to a lake.

Merton looked at him with the corner of his eye, not entirely sure if he should look at Tommy straight in the face after what they had previously done. He remained silent, waiting for Tommy to finish his sentence, and sat on his bed, face down. Thinking.

"So…" Tommy looked around the Lair and coughed a little before continuing, his voice hoarse, "…I should go now…" and made for the door.

"Stay…" Merton whisper was soft and Tommy was surprised he actually heard him. He looked at Merton, who in the meantime had approached him, a towel in his hands. "Just stay until the rain stops… you could fall ill, you know?" and managed a smile.

And Tommy couldn't do but smile too and took the towel for Merton's hand. Their fingers touch and their hearts skip a beat together.

"Thanks…" Tommy said then. Merton looked at him.

"Maybe I should give you clothes, too…" and went to his closet.

"I'm strong, I can manage…" Tommy said and then sneezed. Merton looked at him, amused.

"You were saying?"

"Oh, leave it!" and Merton laughed. All embarrassment gone, Tommy started to laugh too. Merton took some clothes and held them out to Tommy. "Thanks…"

"Those should fit you…" Merton said and remained in front of Tommy, staring at his chestnut eyes. Tommy stared at him too. They were practically nose to nose, but neither of them wanted to break the contact just then.

"About before…" Tommy whispered then, Merton nodded a little while his eyes traveled all around Tommy face until they landed on his lips. "About before…" Tommy repeated. His breath becoming just a little bit heavier.

And suddenly Merton's lips were on his again. Tommy closed the distance between them and held him close. The clothes Merton previously handed to him fell on the wet floor. Tommy felt Merton's back so soft under his fingers as they slid up his black shirt.

---------------------------------

Chuck sipped his beer slowly and stared as Lee approached him and sat down before him.

"Two hours of detection…" Lee exclaimed angrily. Chuck smiled and handed him the bottle.

"I think you need this…" and without a second thought Lee took the beer and drank it all.

"Thanks…"

"You owe me one…" Chuck said and smiled.

"You saw him!" Lee said then, "He punched me!" Chuck nodded and ordered two drinks.

"I know…" Chuck said his face sad.

"I think Tommy needs to be punched too!" Lee finished not really noticing Chuck expression.

"Oh, leave him alone…" Chuck said his voice expressionless. "He fell in love and we can't have him back… his that Freak's now…"

Lee stared at him, shocked.

"He is what?"

"He fell in love… they both did…" Chuck said and winked at the waitress, taking the new bottles from her hands. "I saw it in their eyes… I was friends with Tommy for too long for not noticing the way he looked at Dingle, and the way his eyes sparkled when you provoked him…" Chuck handed the other bottle to Lee, "And when I talked to the Freak I saw it in his eyes too…" and Chuck started to laugh.

"But… but Tommy's straight!" Lee exclaimed. Chuck laughed again.

"Well, I thought it too… until I saw them kissing…"

"No!" Lee exclaimed and an amused smile played on his lips.

"Yes!" Chuck said and they laughed.

Silence fell suddenly and they stared at their bottles for a moment, before Lee spoke:

"I guess we lost him…" Chuck nodded.

"Completely…"

"And we can't do anything about it…"

"Nope!" Chuck said and looked at Lee.

"Let's make a toast!" Lee said exclaimed then and raised his bottle. Chuck mimicked his actions, with a smile on his face. "To Tommy! Who was our friend, a very good one in fact, before he founded his gir… I mean boy!" and laughing they drank the beer.


	10. Chapter 10

Tommy knew he never felt so… complete before. He just knew that this is the place he belonged to. Here, with Merton underneath him, here with Merton in his arms. And not in some pub, drinking and talking about nothing, because your friends can't talk about anything serious. Here with the only true friend.

With your only true love.

So he knew that this is what he was searching for all along.

Yes, he had doubts. Merton had too. And when they kissed the second time Merton couldn't stop himself, and before they could do what they desired the most, he had asked:

"Tommy, are we normal? Is loving your best friend normal?"

Tommy had stayed in silence for a moment, thinking, searching the answer, but then again, in the end, he realized that no good and truthful answers existed. And so he said the only thing he really believed in:

"For me we're perfect…" making Merton smile under his lips.

They didn't need more explanations; they didn't need to talk about it because there wasn't anything to say apart that Tommy loved Merton.

And Merton loved Tommy.

Merton laughed a little at that insight thought. He laughed because he couldn't believe his life had changed so quickly. And so wonderfully…

A month ago he would had stayed all night before the computer listening to Becky's laments from time to time, thinking he would live like that forever, instead of making love with what you once called a best friend and now just… Tommy.

Because he was Tommy. He was not his best friend, he was not his lover, he was everything together and that was perfect and didn't need anything else to complete.

Lee and Chuck would never understand that.

Tommy couldn't hide the fact that his ex friends surprised him a lot more that he imagined they could. Because the day after the fight with Lee they didn't try to make him his friend again. He expected Lee to punch him that day. He didn't. He just stayed with Chuck all day, laughing when glancing at them.

When the morning he and Merton entered the school and by accident encounter them, Lee and Chuck greeted them good morning. Well, in their own special manner, of course…

"Hi, Dawkins…" Lee had said with a smile, and then turning to Merton, "Miss Dawkins…" and they had walked away.

Merton told him then that they preferred deriding him with his 'abnormal' love than making friends with a gay guy. The nerve with some people…

"I believe they think that…" Merton said, "…it's funnier that way, you know… and moreover you can be so stubborn! They understood you'll never turn back to them now that you found, well, me… Or… they humanized all of a sudden! But I think the first one has the higher probability…"

"Better stop thinking about it… it's a waste of time…" he said and kissed him just before his ex group. Well… and before the other students. Merton's sister hadn't been so happy about it.

"I knew it!" she had explained before running away. They'll talk with her another day.

Now it didn't matter.

Merton did.

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Author notes: Yes, this is the end. I'm sorry if it's not as you expected it would be, or think Lee and Chuck gave up too easily… I know and understand you guys completely! But plot bunnies left me there and… well, anyway. I would like to thanks readers and reviewers for all the support you gave me when reading this.

Thanks to: Kaikan, optimisticgirl94, Elemental-Animal, Animegirl1129, Hellgirl77, Pampers Baby Dry, SPEEDIE21, Diana Shra and Crimson Night.

I would also like to ask everyone who read this to tell me what you overall thought about it. It would help me improve.

I loved writing this; I'll always love writing BWoC slash fanfics.

Love,

Happymood.


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